In the Clouds
by Disappearing Boy
Summary: Jess and Leslie are adults now, but that doesn't mean they're going to grow up. LDD.


"Do you ever think about the future?" Jess asked.

Leslie looked down at him. They were in their old hangout spot, the tree house. She was leaning against the wall, and he was lying down with his head in her lap. "Sometimes. Why?"

"When I tell my dad that I want to draw for a living, he tells me to get my head out of the clouds."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, he says that to me all the time."

Leslie paused. "I don't think there's anything wrong with someone's head being in the clouds. Your father is very traditional. He's just worried you won't turn out like him."

"He's got that right," Jess said. "I want to be completely different. Whenever I have a tough decision to make, I always ask myself, 'What would Dad do?' And then I go ahead and do the exact opposite."

She laughed. "That sounds like a foolproof method."

"You're lucky you don't have parents like that. Your parents are actually cool."

"They are more open-minded than most," she admitted. "That doesn't mean they don't get worried, though. Besides, I got enough crap from other kids in school. I didn't need any more trouble."

"You didn't get that much crap in high school. It was only when you first moved here."

"Well, OK. Girls used to make fun of me until we started dating in ninth grade."

"They stopped because of me?"

She shrugged. "I guess so. Some of them had crushes on you. They thought you looked like a famous actor."

"Who?"

"That guy from _The Hunger Games_. Josh Hutcherson."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Who was the first girl you ever had a crush on?" she asked.

"You, of course."

"Seriously?"

"I never thought about anyone else."

"But what about Miss Edmunds?"

Jess fidgeted nervously. "Um..."

"Don't pretend that you don't remember," Leslie said. "She was our music teacher, and she was really nice and really pretty."

"It wasn't exactly a crush."

"Come on! You spent all class staring at her. I saw you."

He sighed. "OK, maybe I did. So what? It was nothing more than a silly infatuation, and I forgot all about her after I realized how hot you were."

"When was that?"

"It was a year or two later that I started to think that I liked you as more than a friend, even though I didn't know what that meant at the time."

"Yeah, you never told me how you felt. Left it up to me to make the first move. I thought the guy is usually supposed to do that."

"Well," he said, "I probably would have gotten around to it eventually, but you just couldn't wait any longer. We were only freshmen. Kind of eager to get started, weren't you?"

Leslie blushed. "Oh, shut up."

"All right. Anyways," he continued, "when you think about the future, what do you see?"

She smiled. "You."

"No, like, what are you going to be?"

"A writer. What are you so worried about?"

"It's just... I mean, we're 19. We're technically adults now, Leslie."

"And you're feeling pressured by society to grow up, right?"

"I know I shouldn't care, but I can't help it. I don't want to work at the hardware store my whole life. Don't see how I can do anything else, though."

"What about drawing? You could sell your paintings."

"I told you, my dad says –"

"Who cares what your dad says? Just take it one day at a time, Jess. Things will work out."

"How do you know?"

"Because we've got each other. That's what's most important, isn't it?"

Jess smiled slowly, and Leslie smiled back. "I think you're right," he said. He sat up and kissed her, and she responded eagerly.

"Hey, wanna go back to the house?" she asked.

"What's wrong with here?"

"Nothing. But I thought if we were going to fool around, it'd be better inside."

"Ever since your parents moved and gave us their place, all you've wanted to do is fool around in bed every day we have off. We're not even married yet. It's scandalous."

"Well, they did say the house was an early wedding present," she replied. "So now we have to get married soon, whether you want to or not. Probably this summer."

"Great." Jess tried to keep a straight face but couldn't. "Hey, I realized something: you're the main reason my dad gets mad at me. The more time I spend with you, the more time I spend with my head in the clouds."

Leslie laughed. "I know. I'm such a bad influence, aren't I?"

He grinned at her. "Yeah. And that's why I like you so much."

**fin**


End file.
